April 5, 2023 (Water) 22:10
Yokohama FM defeats Sapporo for 3 straight wins! Hiroshima wins Kobe with five shots[Summary: Levain Cup GS Section 3]
The J.League YBC Levain Cup had its third round of the group stage on the 5th.
In Group A, Yokohama FM played at home against Sapporo. After losing the lead in the 6th minute, Marcos equalized in the 10th minute with Junior’s goal, and in the 26th minute he turned the game around with an own goal. We won 2-1 and achieved 3 consecutive victories. In an away match against Iwata, Tosu scored the winning goal in the 86th minute from Ryonosuke Kabayama after a 1-1 draw, earning their first victory 2-1. Iwata, who was defeated, had three consecutive losses.
In Group B, Shonan defeated Shimizu 3-0 thanks to Naoki Yamada’s two goals. Kawasaki F vs Urawa ended in a scoreless draw as both sides lacked a decisive move.
In Group C, Nagoya played Yokohama FC at home. Despite a difficult development with two goals ahead, Nobufuku Sakai returned one goal just before the end of the first half, and Kensuke Nagai marked the equalizer in the 78th minute. Furthermore, Sakai scored again just before the end, and won the come-from-behind victory with 3-2. Nagoya maintains the lead with three straight wins. Yokohama FC has lost three games in a row. In the away match against Kobe, Hiroshima developed a furious goal rush. Sho Sasaki scored the opening goal in the 31st minute, and in the second half, Makoto Mitsuda scored two goals to add four more points, giving Japan a 5-0 victory.
In Group D, Niigata defeated Kashiwa 2-0 with goals from Eitaro Matsuda and Yota Komi. They won 6 points and took the lead in the group. Kashima, who welcomed Fukuoka at home, defended Ryotaro Araki’s goal in the 32nd minute to earn their first win of the tournament with a score of 1-0.
In Group E, Gamba Osaka, who faced FC Tokyo at home, won comfortably 3-0 thanks to Naohiro Sugiyama’s 2 goals. With 7 points, they stood alone in the lead. Starting with Matsuda Tenma’s goal in the 6th minute, Kyoto scored 4 goals and defeated C Osaka 4-0.
Levain Cup Group Stage Standings
■ Match data
Yokohama FM vs Sapporo
Iwata vs Tosu
Kawasaki F vs Urawa
Shonan vs Shimizu
Kobe vs Hiroshima
Kashima vs Fukuoka
Niigata vs Kashiwa
Kyoto vs C Osaka
G Osaka vs FC Tokyo
Nagoya vs Yokohama FC